Feeding Is The Key To A Happy And Healty Rabbit

There is no such thing as a ‘complete’ food for rabbits - that is, no single rabbit food that can be fed to the exclusion of every other, whether it’s hay, nuggets or Muesli.If you are a responsible pet owner and want to do what is best for your rabbit then there are a number of considerations to bear in mind, from feeding to housing and vaccinations. This article focuses on the best feeding routine for your pet rabbit and which foods you should avoid.

No one food on its own can provide enough of the essential nutrients and fibre that rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas need.Many pet food manufacturers will promote their rabbit food as a “complete” meal, but this is generally not the case.At each and every feed you need to offer a healthy combination of fibre, vegetables and water.

By offering a varied meal you are delivering a complete feeding plan which provides all the vital fibre, nutrients, vitamins and minerals that rabbits need to stay healthy and emotionally enriched.Museli should be one of the products you avoid when buying rabbit food.With 17,000 taste buds (compared to only 9,000 in humans) its easy for them to pick out the highly starchy and sugary elements of Muesli-style foods and leave the rest, usually the bits that are actually good for them!If your rabbit is a picky eater like this you will find it is eating a very unhealthy diet.Don’t dismiss your rabbit’s fussy eating habits – feeding them a sugary diet that is lacking in fibre can be potentially fatal.

The core elements of commercial rabbit museli are sugar and starch based.Health problems will occur in rabbits who are regularly fed muesli because the sugar and starch elements are incredibly difficult to digest.

It is really simple to feed your rabbit a varied and healthy diet without having to rely on sugary foods. Just remember to always feed a good mixture of fibres, greens and water at every meal and your rabbit will go through life being healthy and happy.